Apparatus for charging and discharging retorts



March 25 1924.

w. D. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING RETORTS Filed March 51 1922 5 Shefets-Sheet 1 v March 25 1924. 1 4 3 1 N..D. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISC-HARGING' RETORTS File arc 31 1922' 5 sheets sheet March 25, 1924. 1,488,361

7 'w. D. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARG ING RETORTS I 'March 25 1924. 1,488,361

'W. D. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING RETORTS Filed Match 31 1922 5 sheets-sheet 4.

March 25, 1924. 1,488,361

W. SCOTT-MONCRIEFF APPARATU; FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING RETORTS Filed M r h 31 1922 5 Sheets-$heet 5 -uium m s a L; T\\\ Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

warren sraras WILLIAM. DUNDAS SCOTT-MONCRIEFF, OF BRIGHTON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING RETORTS.

Application filed March 31, 1922. Serial No. 548,386.

To all whom it may concern." 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DUNDAS SCOTT-MONCRIEFF, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Brighton, in the 6 county of Sussex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Apparatus for Charging and Discharging Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, of the kind wherein the material to be heated in the retorts is arranged on a series of trays which are detachably mounted one above 15 the other on a support whereby the series of trays can be introduced into and removed from the retort by means of an overhead traveller, trolley or the like.

According to my invention, in order to facilitate the introduction into and removal of the trays from the support or cradle, the securing means are arranged to engage with the lowermost tray in such support or cradle, so that the trays of the series can be successively introduced into and removed from the support or cradle from the lower end of the latter. By this means, the trays may be very conveniently piled and unpiled in steps by successively raising and lowering the support or cradle. For this purpose the support or cradle consists of a frame which is adapted to guide the trays either peripherally or internally and is adapted to retain the lowermost tray therein by means of interengaging projections on the tray and frame which can be brought into and out of engagement with each other, e. g. by relative rotation of the tray and frame. j

In. the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, viz v Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a re-' tort.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan online 2- -2, of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of portions" of the two lower trays showing the suspension-rods and rings.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan on line 4-4:, Figure 3. I g Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on line 5 5, Figure 4.

' kind of cradle.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the retort house.

Figure 7 is a sectional plan of the retort house.

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation on line 88, Figure 7 Figure 9 is a sectional elevation on line 99, Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a sectional elevation on line 1010, Figure 7.

Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of cradle.

Figure 12 is a horizontal section on the line 1212, Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a partial transverse section of a tilting table showing means for detachably securing the trays thereon.

Figure 14 is a diagrammatic section of the lifting cylinder and control valve.

In giving efiect to this invention, I use shallow trays or troughs 1 (see Figures 1 to 5) provided with circular bosses or distance pieces 2, cast on them or otherwise suitably attached thereto, and fitting into each other, e. g. they are formed with male and female centres at their upper and lower ends respectively, as shown in Figure 3. These distance pieces 2 are of such height as to cause spaces-to be left between the trays for the free passage of the gas or vapour coming from the materials subjected to the process carried on in the retorts.

The lifting of the superimposed trays is effected by means of sling-rods 3, preferably three in number, conveniently made of round or strap metal and riveted or otherwise suitably attached at their upper extremities to the lid 5 of the retort, so as to form a These rods are held together by metal rings 4, the lower ring being formed with recesses 41, asshown in Figures 4 and 5, so as to enable it to be brought into and out of engagement with projecting lugs 6 on the trays 1, by turning it clockwisev or anti-clockwise as required.

The lid 5 is preferably arranged to make a gas-tight joint with the body 7 of the retort, by means of the circular tongue and groove 8, the groove being filled with asbestos, or other suitable packing.

For the purpose of quenchin or cooling the carbonized. contents of t e trays 1,

which is a necessary detail'in discharging retorts, I provide (see Figures 6 and. 7) a cooling chamber 9 with a circular groove on its upper rim corresponding to the tongue shown on the lid of the retort, and I place the superimposed trays, carried by the slings 3 and the lid 5, into'the cooling chamber 9, by means of an overhead travelling crane 10, see Figures 6 and 9.

When the material that has been heated in the retort is removed from the cooling chamber 9, I convey it by the overhead traveller to the unpiling platform 11, see Figures 6, 7 and 8. When the traveller has deposited the superimposed trays with the sling rods 3 and the lid 5, on the platform 11, it is run back, and connection is made between the cradle 3, 4, Sand the pisure 8. The hydraulic cylinder 13 is carried on a support 14, which may be rotated in bearings115, when it "is desired to move the hydraulic cylinder clear of the path of the'traveller .10. To 'unpile by the hydraulic cylinderso as to engage with the projections 6 on the lowest iOf the trays but one, and all the trays superimposed on the lowest one, are then lifted sufiiciently to allow of the lowest tray being drawn away on the rollers 12, and placed upon the tilting platform 16, see Figures 6, 7 an'd9.

The movement of the piston in the hy draulic cylinder 13 is conveniently controlled by means of a two-way valve, such, for example, as that shown diagrammatically in T Figure 14, where 40 is the .high pressure water supply, 41 the exhaust, --42 the casing, '43 the rotary valve, 44 the operating hand wheel, and the-pipe connection between the valve and the cylinder 13. The trayis suitably held on to the tilting table 16, which is then turned upside down, and the contents in this way are discharged into a truck underneath, or other suitable receptacle.

iWhen-the-empty tray has been restored to the horizontal position it is released, and moved along the rollers 12, to the loading platform 17, see Figures 6, .7a nd 1.0. v

The tray is filled with coal, which has been reduced to sufliciently small dimensions, from a hopper 18, by means of the valve 19, so that the correct quantity :of coal ,is deposited on to each-tray. The filled tray is moved along the "rollers 12 to the piling platform 20 (see Figures .6 and 7 where,

the process ofsuperimposing ;.the trays is carried outby "means of another hydraulic cylinder 21, which is fixed'jto a rotating framework similar to that shown in Figure 8 for the unpiling platform. Tosuperimpose the trays, those resting upon the pl at form 2.0 are raised by means ofa cradle 3,

,1 s b fidieh tdi erfii ls loaded-tray to be moved directly underneath the 3 others, and so on'jiintil the "fair number has been reached; The'cradle 3, 4, 5bea ring containing carbonized fuel to be conveyed to the'unpiling platform 11. The operations of unloading the cradle on tne platfornipll and filling that'on'the platform 20 are then repeated as above described. ton rod of an hydrauliccylinderl3, see Fig- Any suitable means maybe employed for table 16. For example, the table may be provided on one side with a bracket 30,

Figure 13, having a projection 31 for can tending over the upper edge of the periphthe trays,:the cradle 3,4, 5 is suitably lifted v arm 33 having a projection 81 for extending over the upper edge of the peripheral wall of the tray. The tray is adapted to be held firmly between the bracket 30 and arm 33 by means of a screwspindle 34 turning in a nut 35 in a bracket 36 on the table and guided in abearing 37 in a bracket 38. The inward travel of the arm 33 is limited by means ofa stop 39. By turning the screw spindle in one direction or the other the tray .1 canbe very conveniently held'or released. In themodified form of cradle shown in Figures 11 and 12, the retort cover 5 is secured to a downwardly extendin axial tube 22, which is provided at its upper end with an eye 23 whereby it may oe secured to the hook of suitable lifting and transporting gear, and-has fined to its lower end a cylindrical member 24, which has bevelled ends and has. horizontal projecting surfaces 25, 25 for engaging with members 26, 26extend ing inwards from the interior periphery of annular trays 27, 27, in order to support the .lowermost'tr-ay of the series on the carrier.

The members 26, 26 also serve as distancepieces, for which purpose they are provided atthe topwith'horizontal surfaces 28, 28 on which the traysabove' rest. .They are moreover provided with projections 29, 29 at: the top, which extend into and engage with the internal periphery 30 of the tray above, so as to centre the same.

The trays 27, 27 are engaged and disengaged from the cradleby turning the latter relatively to the trays as in the arrangement shown in Figures 1t0'5.

.By means of this cradle, the operations of discharging the retort andre'charging' the in the retort can be carried out as with the cradle first described, as and when required.

The same processes with certain modifications can be carried out for the evaporation of viscous or other liquids, such as tar.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising trays, a carrier for supporting the trays in a superposed condition, horizontally extending surfaces of limited width on the carrier and the trays respectively, said surfaces be ing adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with each other by turning the carrier and trays relatively to each other.

2. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising trays, a carrier for supporting the trays in a superposed condition, distance pieces for holding adjacent superposed trays apart, horizontally extending surfaces of limited width on the carrier and on the trays respectively, said surfaces being adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with each other by turning the carrier and trays relatively to each other.

3. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising trays, a transportable support provided with means for guiding vertically the trays brought into engagement therewith from its lower end, projections on said trays and on said support respectively, said projections being adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with each other by turning the trays and support relatively .to each other.

4. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising a transportable support provided with a top member, downwardly extending sling rods attached to said top member, horizontal sur faces attached to said sling rods at the lower parts thereof, trays adapted to slide vertically between said sling rods, and projections on said trays adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with said horizontal surfaces.

5. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising trays, a transportable carrier adapted at its lower end to receive said trays in superposed condition and to deliver them, means for holding and releasing a tray at the lower end of the carrier, a platform for receiving a series of superposed trays connected to a carrier, a tilting section in said platform, releasable means for securing to the tilting section of the platform, a tray released from a carrier, means for transporting a carrier and attached trays relatively to said platform, and means for raising and lowering said carrier and attached trays, for the purposes specified.

6. An apparatus for charging and discharging retorts, said apparatus comprising trays, a transportable carrier adapted at its lower end to receive said trays in superposed condition and to deliver them, means for V holding and releasing a tray at the lower end of the carrier, a platform for receiving a series of superposed trays connected to a carrier, a tilting section in said platform, releasable means for securing to the tilting section of the platform, a tray released from a carrier, means for transporting a carrier and attached trays relatively to said platform, and a swing frame bearing a hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering said carrier and attached trays.

WILLIAM DUNDAS SCOTT-MONCRIEFF.

Witnesses:

CHARLES FRANCIS Kmr, LESLIE GEORGE ROBERT LELEN. 

